Motorists face a mixed bag at the pumps from Wednesday, with petrol prices jumping by R1.43 per litre while diesel drops by up to R3.25 per litre.
The Ministry of Mineral and Petroleum Resources announced the adjustments on Monday, effective from 3 June 2026, driven by rising crude oil prices, changing international fuel markets, and significant government levy changes.
Price changes
Both grades of petrol (93 and 95) will increase by R1.43 per litre, while diesel prices will fall sharply – down by R3.25 per litre for low-sulphur diesel (0.05%) and R2.62 per litre for cleaner diesel (0.005%).
Paraffin users will see substantial relief, with wholesale prices dropping by R5.96 per litre and the maximum retail price decreasing by R7.95 per litre. LPGas will also cost R0.17 less per kilogram nationally, and R0.20 less in the Western Cape.
What’s driving the changes?
Brent crude oil prices climbed from $101 to $104.59 per barrel during the review period, fueled by escalating tensions between the United States and Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route.
However, international prices for refined petroleum products fell during the same period. Diesel and paraffin saw bigger drops than petrol as demand weakened with the northern hemisphere entering summer. These changes lowered the basic fuel price contributions by R0.30 per litre for petrol, R5.42 per litre for diesel, and R5.82 per litre for paraffin.
The rand’s slight strengthening against the dollar – from R16.65 to R16.52 – provided modest relief, reducing basic fuel prices by R0.12 per litre for petrol, R0.15 per litre for diesel, and R0.15 per litre for paraffin.
Levy adjustments hit petrol harder
Two government interventions significantly affected the final prices. The slate levy – a mechanism to recover previous fuel price under-recoveries – jumped from R1.23 to R1.58 per litre, adding R0.35 to both petrol and diesel prices.
Meanwhile, the temporary fuel levy relief introduced earlier is being scaled back, with R1.50 per litre removed from petrol and R1.96 per litre from diesel, according to an announcement by the Minister of Finance.
The cumulative slate balance stood at negative R18.28 billion for petrol and diesel at the end of April 2026.
